Premier Hotel Regent

We arrived early on Christmas for our booked table for three, hoping to secure our seats, but our reservation was missing. Staff sent us to wait off to the side while helping other customers. I thought it would take a few minutes, but more than an hour passed and we were hungry and frustrated. We saw other customers having the same problem, while people were already eating the buffet, which hadn’t been mentioned in the original communication. We asked to speak to Nolita, the manager. She apologized but didn’t help us find a table. It was chaotic, so we gave up and asked for a refund. Nolita said refunds would be processed in mid-January, which felt like poor customer service. There were plenty of staff around, so why couldn’t someone quickly arrange a table? We expected hot food and good service for Christmas. Who wants to pay R695 per person for a buffet? The tables were cramped together too. I’d read negative reviews about the hotel but thought a holiday meal might be different. They clearly took on more than they could manage. This was a dreadful hotel experience, with terrible service and no management. I wish zero stars were an option, because they don’t deserve even one for ruining our Christmas.

I’m here now on a work trip, and can’t wait to check out and go home on Thursday. The rooms and towels are dirty, especially the white towels, which are disgustingly filthy. There are white streaks on the bathroom mirror and hair from previous guests on the bedroom carpet. The bedroom kettle doesn’t work. They have smart TVs but don’t provide Wi-Fi?

There’s been no hot water since we arrived, and nobody even mentioned it when we checked in. I only found out when I went to shower. Some of the lights don’t work, the carpet is stained, and there’s an aircon remote but no aircon in sight. The TV channels don’t work either.

My room was at the back of the hotel, and closing the windows didn’t keep out the noise from downstairs. Starting at 5am, staff talked and shouted to each other, making sleep impossible. The shower over the bath has inadequate screening, so water covers the tiny bathroom floor and leaves a slipping hazard. Possibly the worst hotel room I’ve had, and certainly not worth the money. No wonder Airbnb experiences are more popular.